Chronicles the life and times of Nucky Thompson, the undisputed ruler of Atlantic City, who was equal parts politician and gangster.
High production values and a fine ensemble cast: HBO knows how to do TV.

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Energetic, stylish and often witty BBC dramatisation that alternates between the gripping love triangle involving the young Casanova, Henriette and her husband Grimani, and the swan song of the world's most notorious lothario. Written by Russell T. Davies, creator of 'Queer As Folk' and the scribe behind the new 'Doctor Who'. find out more...

The Italian adventurer and libertine Giovanni Jacopo Casanova lived from 1725 to 1798, but in this six-part series Dennis Potter attempted to find a contemporary relevance through his central themes of sex and religion. He commented that Casanova "was concerned with religious and sexual freedom, and these are the things we have to address ourselves to now." Casanova was imprisoned in Venice in 1755, and Potter used that event as a central device, constantly inter-cutting to contrast Casanova's a find out more...

Another striking DVD release from the BFI archives that gives a contemporary twist to a dramatic re-construction of the battle of Culloden in 1746; a conflict acknowledged by many for ending Clan unity within the Scottish Highlands. Filmed in black and white and made back in 1964 Culloden remains a striking depiction of a particularly brutal event in history. find out more...

Hailed as the TV programme of the decade this lavish production of Swift's classic book chronicles Gulliver's epic sea voyage and best known adventures, e.g. the Lilliputians and Brobdingnagians. Shot in stunning locations with lavish special FX, this is a must for all families and age-groups. find out more...

The lack of accuracy in the calculation of longitude had caused the death of countless sailors. In 1714 Parliament, worried by the loss of British ships and mindful to the military advantage of knowing where one was at sea, offered a £20,000 prize to anyone who could accurately measure longitude. This is the story of John Harrison, a brilliant carpenter, whose timepieces solved the problem that had long defeated the scientists, it was a hard fought victory and Harrison was forced to endure pover find out more...

The first half of an exhaustive and lush dramatisation of Napoleon Bonaparte, from ambitious Corsican soldier at the end of the 18th Century, to his imprisonment on the Island of St Helena by the British, less than twenty years later. If anything "Napoleon" is almost overly dramatic, but it's still an enthralling look at the great man, both publicly and privately, his military achievements, and the turning of a divided France into the most powerful nation in the Western world. find out more...

The second half of an exhaustive and lush dramatisation of Napoleon Bonaparte, from ambitious Corsican soldier at the end of the 18th Century, to his imprisonment on the Island of St Helena by the British, less than twenty years later. If anything "Napoleon" is almost overly dramatic, but it's still an enthralling look at the great man, both publicly and privately, his military achievements, and the turning of a divided France into the most powerful nation in the Western world. find out more...

An epic tale spanning 200 years, from Kunta Kinti's enslavement to his descendants' liberation, Roots is a dramatisation of author Alex Haley's family line. When originally aired back in the late 1970s Roots was one of the most watched and critically lauded television dramatisations of the decade, in part because it provided its largely white audience with a palatable history lesson that many had been hitherto reluctant to learn. To watch the series now it seems a little bit over dramatised and find out more...

An epic tale spanning 200 years, from Kunta Kinti's enslavement to his descendants' liberation, Roots is a dramatisation of author Alex Haley's family line. When originally aired back in the late 1970s Roots was one of the most watched and critically lauded television dramatisations of the decade, in part because it provided its largely white audience with a palatable history lesson that many had been hitherto reluctant to learn. To watch the series now it seems a little bit over dramatised and find out more...